VERACRUZ, VER.- Mexico’s National Customs Agency (ANAM) is considering a structural redesign of its scientific inspection system with the installation of more regional laboratories in strategic locations throughout the country . The goal is to decentralize technical functions that currently fall primarily to the central laboratory located in Mexico City, which handles the analysis of samples from the country’s 50 customs offices, a situation that complicates the speed of merchandise clearance.
Currently, there is one central laboratory and three regional laboratories located in Veracruz, Manzanillo, and Lázaro Cárdenas, which already function as complementary nodes for processing difficult-to-identify merchandise. These laboratories are responsible for verifying that foreign trade goods comply with the corresponding tariff classification , as well as for detecting prohibited goods or illicit substances that may pose a risk to national health and security.
“Our central laboratory is heavily loaded with everything sent by the country’s 50 customs offices, because it’s not just hydrocarbons, we’re talking about wood and structural materials, all in order to be able to perform the analyses and make the recommendations that the different customs offices make to us, especially on materials that are not easily identifiable,” explained retired Admiral Fernando Angli Rodríguez, Director General of Customs Operations at ANAM, during his participation in the 29th Annual Congress of Shipping Agents, organized by the Mexican Association of Shipping Agents (Amanac) .
The official determined that the existing laboratory in Veracruz has become limited by the operational growth of the port’s customs office, so he suggested that an expansion of the current regional laboratory could be planned, with greater capacity that would reduce the number of samples sent to Mexico City.
“Here in Veracruz, for example, we have a laboratory that has become too small, too small, and too short for the capacity of the Veracruz customs office. So, plans are already underway to equip a much larger regional laboratory , one that won’t need to send all the samples to Mexico City,” explained Angli Rodríguez.
These laboratories perform specialized analyses using techniques such as infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, liquid chromatography, X-ray and inductively coupled plasma spectrometry, among others.
ANAM is reportedly outlining a territorial strategy to install new regional laboratories in areas with accelerated foreign trade growth, a proposal that has been mentioned since the previous administration and has not translated into concrete actions. “There will be several regional laboratories—how many?—they are in the planning stages. We need to see if trade continues to grow. For example, Guaymas is growing significantly, and we’re seeing this in customs,” the official explained.
The case of Guaymas is representative. According to Angli, this customs office has registered a monthly growth of 126% in revenue collection, which positions it as a natural candidate to host a regional laboratory. In addition to Guaymas, five customs offices account for approximately 50% of national revenue collection , so they will be considered priority locations for the expansion of this technical infrastructure.
Furthermore, as part of the strategy, the retired admiral indicated that ANAM has deployed mobile laboratories designed primarily for hydrocarbon analysis. “We have seven along the Mexican border and seven at maritime customs; all are in the process of being installed and personnel are being trained to operate these laboratories,” explained Angli Rodríguez. This action also comes at a time when the Ministry of the Navy (Semar) , responsible for managing maritime customs, has sought to combat the so-called “fiscal huachicol” (illegal hydrocarbon importation), in which the military’s own personnel have been involved.
The expansion of the regional laboratory network represents an operational and technical reconfiguration that seeks to respond to the pressures arising from increased trade volume, the sophistication of merchandise, and traceability and security requirements.
However, the effectiveness of this strategy will depend on ANAM’s ability to overcome institutional inertia that has historically delayed customs modernization. Simply installing laboratories is not enough; it will be essential to guarantee international certifications, staff them with specialized technical personnel, ensure consistent processes, and maintain them operational with sufficient resources . If these elements are not implemented, decentralization could remain a fragmented system, incapable of offering agile and reliable responses to the real dynamics of foreign trade.
Comment and follow us on X: @EnriqueDuRio / @GrupoT21
